Tobacco curing apparatus



April 19, 1938. H. c. suGG 2,114,942

TOBACCO CURING APPARATUS u Filed May 11', 19:57 s sheets-sheet 1 l l//l/ 417( I f f y i N hvenor E H6723/ C Mmm J H. C. SUGG TOBACCO CURINGAPPARATUS pril 19, 1938.

Filed May 11, 19:57 s sheets-sheet 2 nvenor April 19, 1938. H. c.suc-sca TOBACCO CURING APPARATUS Filed May l1, v1957 3 Sheets-Sheet 5burner or coal stokerl. A blower 5 is provided l.

Patented Apr. 19, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE A 2,114,942 TOBACCOCURING APPARATUS Henry C, Sugg, Greenville, N. C. Application May r1,1937, serial 110,142,052

l Claim. (Cl. 34--19l .The present invention relates to new and usefulimprovements in means for curing tobacco and has 'for its primary objectto provide, in a manner as hereinafter set forth, an apparatus of thisvcharacter embodying anovel construction, combination and arrangement ofparts through the medium of which a constant flow of fresh, Aheatedairthroughthe tobacco may be had.

Other objects of the invention are to provide a tobacco curing apparatusof the character described which will be comparatively simple inconstruction, strong, durable, highly eicient and reliable in use,compact and which may be manufactured and installed at lowcost.

and advantages of the invention will become apparent from a study of thefollowing ,specification, taken in connection with the accompanyingdrawings wherein. like characters of reference designate correspondingparts throughout the several views, and wherein:

Figure 1 is a View principally in vertical longitudinal section throughan embodiment of the apparatus.

Figure 2 is a view in horizontal section, taken substantially on theline 2-2 of Fig. l.

Figure 3 is a cross sectional view, taken substantially on the line 3-3o f Fig. 1.

Figure 4 is a cross sectional view, taken stantially on the line 4-4 ofFig. 2.

Figure 5 is a view in vertical section through the upper portion of theventilator.

Figure 6 is a, .horizontal sectional view, taken substantially on theline 6-6 of Fig. 1.

Figure 'I is a view principally in side elevation, showing amodification. A

Referring now to the drawings in detail, it will be seen that thereference numeral I designates a tobacco barn of .suitable dimensionshaving a peak roof 2. Installed in-the barn I, preferably adjacent oneend thereof, is a furnace or other suitable heater 3 which is providedwith an oil subfor the burner 4, said blower being located on theoutside of the barn I.'

Extendinghorizontally adjacent the floor of the barn I andconnected tothe upper portion of the furnace 3 is a flue 6. Branches 1. areconnected to the ue 6 and merge with an outlet 8 which passes throughone of the walls of the barn I.

Enclosing the furnace 3 are spaced inner and outer -jackets 9 and I0,respectively.A Communieating with the outer jacket I0 is a fresh airinlet conduit II which, as illustratedto advantage in Fig. 1 of thedrawings, communicateswith the All ofthe foregoing and still furtherobjects v atmosphere through the end of the barn I which is remote fromthe furnace 3. The conduit II is .provided with an enlarged intake endportion I2 .having mounted therein a blower ,I 3.

Communicating with the inner jacket 9 is a dis- 5' charge or returnconduit Il which extends horizontally below the conduit I I inparallelism therewith. Also, the conduit Ilextends above the flue 6 inparallelism therewith. Communicating with the conduit Il are branches I5having upturned 10 free end portions I6 on which spreaders I'I arevmounted. .A damper I8 is provided inthe conduit. I4 adjacent theinnerjacket 9. The reference numeral I9 designates a damper inthe conduit-II. At a pointl diametrically 'opposite the con-[15 duits II and I4, theinner jacket 9 communicates with the outer jacket I0 through an openi20. .Any suitablemeans maybe provided to permit access to be had to theburner 44.

Mounted longitudinally beneath the roof 2 of the barn I is a.Ventilating conduit 2l having connected thereto oppositely inclinedintake branches 22. 'I'he Ventilating conduit 2| is further provided, atan intermediate point, with an upstanding outlet 23 which. extendsthrough the roof 2 and which is provided with a damper 24.

It is thought that the operation of the invention will bereadilyapparent from a consideration of t he foregoing. The'tobacco tobe cured is hung inthe usual manner at the desired elevation 30 abovethe floor of the barn I; With the burner 4 in Operation, fresh air fromthe atmosphere is blown throughI the conduit Il into the outer jacket I0and'in this manner said air is preheated. 'I'his air then enters theinner'jacket 9 through the opening 20 where it is brought to the desired.temperature and from which it enters the conduit yll. 'I'his heated airis then distributed substantially evenly in the lower portion of thebarn/I through the discharge branches I5. 40

'36 is a damperin branchesY I5 used in securing an even temperature inthe barnA I. After being discharged from the branches I5 the heatedairows upwardly through the tobacco into the Ventilating conduit'2l fromwhich it is returned 45 to the atmosphere through the outlet 23. As theconduit II lis located immediately above the V conduit Il, thetemperature ofthe incoming fresh air will be raised before it enters`the outer jacket- I0. Also, the conduit II functions as a guard to 50prevent inammable matter from falling on the hot air conduit Il. Theconstruction and ar- Y rangement' of the flue 6 andthe branches 'Ithere' of is such that the heat from the exhausting productsw ofcombustion from the furnace 3 will be 55" y tion in which a suitableburner is provided. AA

iiue 26 is connected to one end of the furnace 25. Mounted on thefurnace 25 is an elongated casing 21 of suitable metal having mounted1on-l gitudinally therein a horizontal partition 28 providing intake anddischarge passages 29 and 90, respectively. The intake passage 29 isprovided with an enlarged, longitudinally projecting intake end portion30. The partition 29 is spaced from one of the end walls of the lcasing21., as at ll. to permit the air to enter the discharge passage 3l fromthe intake passage 29. Extending horizontally in opposite directionsfrom the discharge passage 39 are branches 32 having upturned free endportions 33 provided with spreaders 3l. A

blower 25 is provided in the enlarged intake end `llloi the passage 29.

In operation, fresh air from the atmosphere enters the passage 29 of thecasing 2T through the enlarged intake end portion 29 of said passage 29and is preheated, This air then iiows back through the passage I9 whereit is brought to the desired temperature and from which it is dischargedinto the barn through the branches 23. In addition to curing tobacco,the apparatus may also be used for drying fruits and vegetables.

It is believed that the many advantages of a to. bacco curing apparatusconstructed in accordance with the present invention will be readilyunderstood and although preferred embodiments of the invention are asillustrated and described, it is to be understood thatfurthermodications and changes in the details of construction may beresorted to which will fall within the scope of the invention asclaimed.

What is claimed is:-

In a drying chamber, a horizontally arranged inlet pipe having one endin communication with the atmosphere. heating means i'or heating the airleaving said pipe, an outlet pipe for the heated air paralleling thefirst pipe and located under the same, branch pipes leading from theoutlet pipe and having their outer ends extending upwardly, dampers inthe branch pipes for controlling the flow of heated air therethrough,hoods.

covering the upper ends of said upwardly extending portions of thebranch pipes for distributing the heated air through the chamber, anoutlet pipe leading from the top ci' the chamber, pipes extending alongthe top of the chamber and leading into the outlet pipe.

HENRY C. SUGG.

